A Few Points for My Friends

To my friends:

-I am always here for you.  Come borrow a cup of sugar from me.  Call me at midnight if you're having issues.  Go for a walk with me so we can talk about what's going on.  I don't have a lot of money, but I'm available and ready to listen.

-I am not perfect.  Neither are you.  No friendship is.

-If you cannot accept the fact that I may have different views, kindly see yourself out.  As much as I'd love to listen to you go on about how I'm an ignorant little bigot, I simply do not have the time.

-Have an issue with me?  Just tell me.  We can either get the issue figured out or you can just tell me to leave you alone.  Problem solved.

The Tragedy in Connecticut and More Gun Control

Since yesterday, I have been trying to make sense out of a senseless tragedy.  Despite the fact that I lost innocence long ago, I feel that I'm still desperately clinging to this false hope that all people simply make mistakes and that people aren't intentionally malicious.  It's rather silly to hope for something like that so I can justify what happened as just a mistake - perhaps selfish, too - but in a world where heinous acts are committed every day, I feel that it allows me that sense of innocence again, the innocence I haven't had since I was a child.  Ignoring the situation in its entirety will not do anyone good.  But sometimes it's rather nice to pretend that everything's just peachy when things slip and shatter to pieces before you silently bend down and pick each one up, not even sure of what you're doing.  You just feel like you had a huge dose of Novacain and when it finally wears off, it just sort of dawns on you, and you can't stop the grief that breaks through the floodgate.
It makes you wonder why God hasn't finished writing your final chapter yet.
The thing I hate is the fact that I am not surprised.  Enraged, yes.  Saddened, yes.  But not surprised.  Nothing surprises me anymore.  In some ways, it's actually rather nice; it's better than finding out for the first time that the world goes beyond your nice, neat little cul-de-sac.  It's better than finding out that there are real problems that matter more than the fact that your pink crayon is missing or Mommy won't let you eat another cookie because you've already had six.  But I still wish it could surprise me nonetheless.
I sort of took a hiatus on this blog after I realized that no one really reads it.  It just didn't feel as important to me after a while, and with the start of school and band competitions, I decided to just stop blogging altogether.  After all, who would want to read the rants of a Republican teen, meaningless (The Care and Well-Being of Christi) or not (Abortion)?  But after what happened, I decided that posting something like this on Facebook (as I was going to do) probably wasn't the best idea.  I will, however, post a link to this on there once I'm finished writing this.  Then I will wait patiently for someone to come and scream at me about how stupid I am or how I belong in the kitchen or something.
The last two posts I wrote were also about guns; the last one being about the massacre in Aurora and the one prior to that being about gun control.  I'm probably wasting my time writing yet another post on this.  So I'll try not to make it too long.  I'd just like to bring a point up.
A friend, Stacy, said that banning guns would be like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping, gushing wound.  Trying to ban them wouldn't fix the problem; instead, it'd make us feel better, like when a kid scrapes his knee while learning how to ride a bike for the first time and his mom kisses it.  The kiss didn't completely heal the cut.  All it did was make the boy feel better.  Similarly, banning guns will do nothing but make us feel good, like we did society a favor and we can just leave the issue alone.  When we talk about banning guns, we fail to think of the consequences.  We don't think of how a father can no longer protect his wife and children when someone breaks into his house with a 9mm.  We don't think of how people use other things to kill, such as knives and baseball bats.  We don't think of how firearms will still continue to be distributed illegally to criminals so that, like the defenseless father, will have the advantage.  We don't think of the people who use guns simply for recreation.  And we definitely don't think of the people like this woman who managed to defend herself with her gun.
If you're one of the people who doesn't like reading and skimmed through this whole thing, I'll be nice and summarize it for you: gun control doesn't work.  Period.

Shooting in Aurora

Yesterday marked one of the largest massacres in the U.S.  It was a bit difficult to believe.  I know that there are sick and crazy (not good crazy, but bad crazy) people out there, but this was one of the reasons we moved from California.  I knew that bad people exist everywhere, but I never thought it would happen here, despite what happened at Columbine High in '99.

I guess I was a bit naive to believe that.

I woke up yesterday and talked to my mother, who told me about the tragedy.  I immediately started freaking out.  I had yet to find out it happened in Aurora.  I knew I had friends who would be seeing the movie at midnight.  I can't remember what went through my head at that moment, but I do know that there is nothing more scary than wondering if your friends have been shot.

"Where did this happen?" I asked my mom.

"Aurora," she said.

No friends in Aurora.  I was a bit relieved, but at the same time, I could just feel that ache in my chest.  That physical pain you get something absolutely tears at you (who knew heartbreak wasn't just emotional?).  Not just the fact that people died and were injured, but also the fact that people had to watch that.  Adults and children.  I feel terrible for the people who watched people die, but the children?  I am disgusted with the fact that a monster would rob them of their innocence like that.  When my sister found out, she commented, "Well, that's not very nice.  He must not read his Bible."  I wish I could have her innocence.

Later, my mom came up from the basement and asked if I wanted to watch Lost with her.  She needed to get her mind off of it and some other things, so I said yes.  We'd never seen the show before and we quickly became addicted.  It provided a good distraction and the plot drew us in.  We ended up watching it for hours.  All the TV channels had something about the massacre on them (we only get a few channels, so I can't speak for all of them, obviously, but still).  I'm sure that they're going to continue reporting about it for a bit, so it's just going to be Netflix for right now.

Please keep the victims' families and the other people at the theater in your thoughts and prayers.

Guns

I've decided that posting about politics, even though I've done it before, is probably not the best idea.  I don't have a ton of readers, though, and if you don't like it, don't read it.  It's probably not the best thing on Facebook, but this is my blog, and I'll post whatever I feel like posting.

I will warn you right here that this post might frighten a few people because I talk about a few different ways that people can be murdered.  Read with discretion.  (That was so cool to say.)

So this morning, I was feeling absolutely terrific.  Until I watched this video.  I couldn't make it all the way through because I felt sick.  Not just a "my blood is boiling" sick.  It was a literal stomach churning sick.  And I can't tell if this video did that all on its own or if the coffee I had helped.

My first question is this: How the heck is gun control going to make us safe?  If anything, it's going to make us less safe, not more.  Because there will be people who will use guns despite the fact that it will be illegal and the rest of us will be unarmed.  If some guy comes into my house uninvited, I will shoot him, no questions asked.  I will protect myself and my family (even though it's just my dad that has access to the guns when we're at home and not at the range, not me).  But if he's armed and I'm not?  That means I have no way to defend myself.  Because trying to defend yourself when your opponent has a gun is pretty futile.  If I do have a gun, and he also has one, then I can easily shoot him before he gets to me.  I would have no regrets about it.

Now here comes another question: What if we're both unarmed?  If there's an intruder, you never know if he has a gun on him.  But for the argument's sake, let's say he's not.  If I don't have a gun because of this silly treaty either, then guess what I'll do?  I'll do whatever it takes to get him the heck away from me.  I will use whatever else I can think of to defend myself.  I'll use my fists (even though I seriously can't punch - ask anyone), one of the steak knives in the kitchen, whatever.  The only time I would EVER kill a person is out of self-defense, and taking a gun away isn't going to stop that.  There will be people who will still murder.  There are more ways to kill a person than with a gun, so taking the guns away won't lower the amount of murders that happen.  And people will still own guns - making it illegal doesn't mean every single gun owner out there will immediately let go of their guns.  You might as well ban everything else if you're really bent on keeping the crime rate low, Mr. President.  Anything and everything can be used as a weapon.  If you want people to stop stabbing, ban scissors.  If you want people to stop suffocating others, ban plastic bags.  I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.  The only difference is that guns are more effective than any other weapon.

My final question: How do you think we've been fighting wars?  And how will we fight in the future without firearms?  We will be toast if we don't have them.

You have no reason to fear gun owners.  George Washington once said, "The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference."  The majority of gun owners own guns to protect themselves and use them for recreation (hunting, for example), not to kill or harm people.  The only people to be feared are the ones who misuse guns.  I am not losing my second amendment rights without a fight.  "They'll have to shoot me first to take my gun."  (Roy Rogers, everyone.)

If you want to debate with me on this issue, I'd be more than happy to do so.  My only requests are that we do it in person and that you are civil about it.  If you start to hurl insults at me (which has happened to me - one of the big reasons I usually don't get into debates - seems like no one can be civil and respectful about it), I will immediately leave.

The Care and Well-Being of Christi

I felt sick this morning, so I decided to stay home.  While I was laying in my bed, this idea popped up in my head, so I typed it all out.  This is a fact sheet to take care of me.  Like those fact sheet things that they have at pet stores.

Mornings:
While Christi may be a morning person, she is often tired and mentally unprepared for the upcoming day.  That is why it is imperative that she has coffee.  One or two cups will usually suffice, but be careful when she exceeds that amount.  It could result in your entire family wishing to see a therapist.
After Christi has received her coffee, the awakening process will be complete and she will be the sweetest person you have ever met (except when provoked - see section titled "Daytime").  She will also think rationally and be somewhat intelligent.

Daytime:
Christi does not enjoy school in any way.  Because of this, she will often come home looking for something to satisfy her sweet tooth (chocolate works the best) and something to distract her (such as a video game or book).  She is introverted and may want some time to herself.  If she wants to be around someone, it will most likely be her cat.
If you would like to keep Christi in the good mood she had since she got coffee, do not talk about things such as politics, country and American pop, math, decaf coffee, glitter, sewing, or the Twilight saga.  This will enrage her and she will come out of her shell and begin to rant about her hatred for those things, something that is inescapable.  If you try to leave, she will follow.  If you tune her out, she will make sure you listen.  Similarly, it is wise to not bring up things she likes, such as music, writing, marching band, cooking, languages, reading, exercising, Office Depot, cats, My Little Pony, etc.; she will rant on those topics too.  She prides herself in the time that she talked her poor mother's ear off on the way to the Denver International Airport on trumpet mouthpieces.  It is also best that you don't bring up things that make her sad, such as an animal dying; certain scenes in books, movies, video games, and TV shows; and other various things.  If you do not want a lengthy conversation with her, we suggest talking about something neutral like curtains or phone cords.
Christi does not like to be disturbed when concentrating on something.  This could be when she has both earbuds in her ears or when she's listening to music alone, reading, writing, practicing trumpet, failing miserably at piano, or doing a boss battle.  If you do so, she will keep her friendly demeanor, but inside, she is thinking of the most torturous way she will make you her next horcrux.  She is like a Remlit in the way that she appears to be innocent but really isn't (especially when she's been without coffee).  She is proud to be sarcastic, morbid, and sadistic and loves schadenfreude.  She is not, however, perverted like most of her friends.  If you ever make the mistake of doing this, flee to another country or talk to her about something she likes.  We advised against this earlier, but if you allow her to talk about it, she will forget about you and you will most likely get to live.

Nighttime:
If Christi lived in her own brain, her bedtime routine would include taking a hot bath while reading a book, drinking some tea, cuddling with her many cats, and finally settling down in her bed in her room where she can open the roof up to see the many stars and listen to the wind and crickets chirping.  But because she is low on time and money, this is not possible for her.  What she does instead is simply go to her room about an hour before her bedtime or so and do as she pleases until she falls asleep.
If it is raining, she will go outside and dance in it.  Do not be alarmed if you hear the door opening and closing and laughter.  A rainy night is the best night for her.

Do:
-Encourage her.
-Give constructive criticism.
-Leave her alone when she wants to be left alone.
-Remember that she is socially awkward, ditzy, physically clumsy (is there such a thing as mentally clumsy?  We think so.), and has self-diagnosed ADHD.  She may do stupid things because of those things.  Only the most patient people have the capacity to deal with her.

Don't:
-Ask to see her writing unless you are a family member or fellow writer that she loves and trusts.
-Play country music, American pop, or anything by Avril Lavigne.  Your iPod/CD player/whatever will be broken in ten seconds flat (obscure reference FTW) and she will not pay for it.
-Tell her to go to a party, dance, etc.  She won't go anywhere that has people she doesn't know and large crowds of her own free will.  The one exception was homecoming.
-Do what we said not to do.
-Give her frosting.
-Talk about boys as anything more than friends.  She's not looking for a relationship and never will.
-Similarly: Don't try to set her up on a blind date.  (This is for you, Shelby!)
-Say something dirty around her.  This may lead her to going into shock or being incredibly angry (may God have mercy on your soul if it's the latter).  Either way, she can only be revived by coffee, chocolate, or good music.
-Give her something that has lots of glitter, leopard print, or is pink or orange.  This will have the same result as the above.
-Try to explain math, fashion, or the twisted logic of our current president to her.  This will result in a blank stare and silence (yes, you heard correctly).

Friendship

God's really blessed me.  I don't deserve it and no one knows it like He does.  I have an awesome family, a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food being digested in my stomach, and so much other stuff.  Best of all, I have God as my best friend.  I can talk to Him whenever I want and need to and He's been so merciful and gracious towards me that there's a place in heaven for me.  I can't even begin to describe how much He's given me.
One way that He's blessed me is through friendship.  I've asked God for some Christian friends to encourage me and guide me in my walk.  He really answered prayer.
Yesterday, I went to Sow and Sews like I have been since January or February.  This is a ministry started by one of my newer Christian friends, Connie.  It is something that I've been looking forward to each week.  It's really helped me grow and learn.  I also made a new friend yesterday named Barbara.  Truly a blessing.  The last woman that comes (other than me) is my mom.  All these women are older than me, so it also gives me some perspective.
There is also a girl I met last semester in math class named Corina.  She never fails to make me laugh.  She's lovely and so bright.
Two weeks ago, I was invited to come to a Young Life Club by a friend named Hailey.  I told my mom about it and she suggested that I go.  I did despite the fact that I was really scared.  I am, again, a total introvert, and the thought of going to a place where there would be plenty of people I didn't know scared the living daylight out of me.  But it was a ton of fun and I actually met some new people despite my fear.
I also went to a women's retreat last month.  Besides the babies that some of the moms brought with them, I was the youngest person there.  But no one really said anything about my age and they still welcomed me there.  Even more friends were added to the list.
There is also band.  I've met some pretty cool people through band.  I went to a trumpet party yesterday with some believers.  Many teens go to parties where they're pressured to do things they really shouldn't.  It was awesome to be at a place where we just played games, ate awesome food and had a good time in general.
Finally, there's church.  We started going to a new church called the Crossing back in September or October, which was scary.  There were tons of new faces.  But I actually started meeting people.  I met Connie, for one thing, and I was introduced to a girl named Taylor, the daughter of one of the pastors there.  I've even initiated some conversations at times.
God's really worked to bring Christian friends into my life.  They're all wonderful and I'm so happy that I met them.  My brothers and sisters are the coolest.

Nail Polish

I am going to take a break from the more serious stuff to talk about the problems with nail polish.
I've been thinking about it a lot.  I didn't do my nails a lot because I'm horrible with that kind of stuff and it's tedious.  Those are two problems.  But I've been doing it more recently.  And what happened is that I wanted to do my nails again after getting the blue off of them.  But what I could choose from was pink, orange (my two least favorite colors, though orange is starting to grow on me a bit), and two shades of blue.  And I didn't want to do blue again.
So what did I do?  I went shopping for nail polish.
I went to Walgreen's yesterday, mostly looking for some dark red nail polish but also wanting some other shades if I could find any that I liked.  The nail polish they had (which had a color called "Unicorn" but was a light yellow and therefore too ugly to use) was pretty cheap and they had a lot of colors that appealed to me, so I bought eight bottles.  Three were in shades of blue (I know, I know, no more blue, but I love the color blue, and they were so lovely), two were purple colors, one was more of a neutral brownish color, one was a peach color, and the last one was the dark red color that I wanted.  I've been seeing red nails a bit, but I didn't want a normal red color.  I wanted something darker.
The first problem was deciding which polish to use.  I was excited about the colors and I was torn.  Eventually, I told my brother to pick a random color that wasn't pink or orange.  He said lavender.  So I used the lighter purple color, which looks like this:

A really pretty color.  Love it.
Problem number two was that it took me about an hour and a half (I think) to do all twenty digits.  That included fixing mistakes (problem number three) made when I accidentally brushed my hand against something or didn't do the nail correctly.  They still didn't look that great when I was done, but they were a lot better than when I had started.  Practice makes perfect, I guess, and I just started doing my nails more.

Colors bought: Fiji, Sugar Sugar, Zeus, Nirvana, Hazard, Gorgeous, Grecian Sea, Mint Apple; not all colors pictured  

International Women's Day

So today is International Women's Day.  Of course, the radical feminists are going nuts over this.  I myself am a feminist, though not like most feminists.  But one person today said something along the lines of, "This day might have been nice for women 100 or 200 years ago when they were still fighting for their rights, but not today.  Women today have the same rights as men, so this day is pointless."  Made me roll my eyes.  Because most women do have the same rights as men.  If you live in America, that is.  Because there are still women out there that are believed to not have a lot of value.  Women can't even drive in Saudi Arabia.
For another thing, why should the day be about feminism?  I think it should simply be about honoring the awesome women in your life.  Because let's face it.  Men would be nothing without us.  (I will admit that we, too, need men in our lives.  But men need women more than we need men.  Am I right?)
Getting back to the topic of feminism.  I'm a feminist.  But many feminists today are the ones like this:

And this:



I, for one, am a feminist that thinks the whole movement should be redefined.  I don't know about you, but I really don't like being grouped together with those feminists that seem to have a pea for a brain.

Eating and Drinking Healthy Stuff

One of my New Year's resolutions was to have more healthy stuff and cut down on the junk food.  I'm happy to report that it has been going (mostly) well.  I've been paying more attention to nutrition labels and drinking more water.  I even lost a few pounds (not intentionally, of course).  But there was a huge challenge that came with this.  I had to give up soda.
I think it's one of the hardest things I've ever done.  I love soda.  Pepsi is my favorite, and these past few weeks without it have become difficult.  I also went for sushi with my dad on Wednesday, and at the restaurant we usually go to, they serve a Japanese soda called Ramune (which comes in many different flavors, but the restaurant serves strawberry, melon, and the original flavor, which tastes like bubble gum).  I always had the melon Ramune while eating.  It tastes soooooo good.  It took me a lot of strength to order a water instead.
I quit drinking soda on February 16th.  I decided to stop drinking it for a year.  Hopefully, by the time my little soda break is over, I'll be so used to water and stuff and I'll think of soda as too sweet.  I believe it's been getting easier each day, but it's still difficult.  At the moment, there's Pepsi in the house, but I just had a smoothie, so my sweet tooth is satisfied.  But I fear that sometime, I'm going to snap and have a can.
It's been difficult to resist junk food, too.  If I have any, I manage to limit it to just a little, but it's better to have none.  The fact that it's not spring yet also sucks because fruit is out of season and a bit expensive.  I love fruit.  I don't know too much about bananas, but those are packed with protein and help boost your metabolism.  And the Doctor approves.  Bananas are just awesome.
Watermelon and peaches, however, are my favorite fruit.  Watermelon is the best summer treat ever.  Sinking your teeth into it and letting the juice drip down your chin is like heaven.  (Of course, the same can be said about corn on the cob, except it's more like letting the butter drip down your chin.)  I just love the flavor of peaches.  And the smell.  Which is why I love peach-scented stuff like lip gloss.  (I do have it, but it's missing.  Sadness.)
I've been trying to find new healthy foods and drinks to try to make.  The first one I tried that came from Pinterest was a Green Monster Spinach Smoothie.  The woman who created it said it did not taste healthy at all and that she loved to indulge in it.  So I tried it.  It tasted pretty good (it had bananas and peanut butter in it, though the spinach made it look like it belonged in a witch's cauldron), but I only wanted one glass, so I put the rest in the fridge to have later.  But when I came back for more, it just tasted like pure.  Liquefied.  Spinach.  It was disgusting.  I love spinach, but I learned that I preferred it in its solid form.  It was either because I let it sit in the fridge for so long or because I added so much spinach (four cups of it).  I'm guessing more of the former.
Eating healthier has been a challenge, but it's been rewarding.

People

As you most likely know, I am a girl.
What does this mean?  If you follow the stereotype, it means I don't shut up and just talk.  And talk.  And talk.
Sadly, it's a bit true.  I love to vent, ramble, whatever.  But I don't think I'm to blame.  Part of it is because I have a lot of different interests and when I'm really, really interested in something, I have to talk about it.  There was a time where, on the way to the airport to pick up my grandmother, I yakked my mom's ear off about trumpet mouthpieces.  I manged to spend so much time informing her of something that will probably never be of any use to her (and probably doesn't interest her in the slightest).  The other part of it is because of people.  Sometimes good people.  But often bad.  Today, various people just made me feel especially icky.  I do not like that icky feeling.  People are rarely the cause, but today they were.  It's not the most pleasant feeling.
Anyway.  I am very cynical.  Again, I am not to blame for this; my parents are.  It makes me sort of admire people that are overly-optimistic and bubbly and charismatic because I'm not that kind of person.  Sometimes I like interacting with strangers for my own personal amusement (today I applauded someone who was singing something random, saying, "Yay!  Woot!" at school), but I really don't like talking to them.  I'm a total introvert.  There are even times where I prefer spending time in my own little world rather than talking to friends.  (Sorry, guys.  I still love you.)
I've gotten better.  For example:

That was me when I was 10.  Back then, I was shy.  Super shy.  As in, it was a miracle if you could get a word out of me.

This is a photo of me from last summer.  Five years passed and I turned into a person who's willing to speak her mind when necessary (yes, even in front of strangers).  I also became a geek and a metalhead.  My Colorado peers probably had something to do with this.
I still hate talking to new people, though.  This also includes other things: I despise oral presentations, group projects, and anything else that involves me working with people (I often participate in discussions, PMs, and other things on forums, but that's something entirely different - at least, in my opinion).
The people that usually get me worked up are politicians, celebrities, and various people at school.  Always a different reason.  I usually don't whine too much about people to my friends.  My poor mother and father are usually the ones that sit through rants, improvised speeches, etc.  I'm surprised they haven't used any duct tape or a gag on me yet.  I'm sure it would be helpful for when my mouth gets going faster than my brain.  (I'm slow, guys, and when I'm around family, I have a big mouth.  I talk a lot to them.)  I sometimes rant to my brother, but he doesn't rant like I do.  I also don't think he has the patience to listen to me go on and on about a certain subject.  (I don't blame him one iota.)  I, of course, can't rant to my sister, as she is only five and does not know about most of this kind of stuff and shouldn't have to.
But there are good people, too.  I remember that one or two weeks ago, another trumpeter and I were practicing in the hallway by the auditorium.  Some random girl came up to us, asked us to play, and praised us.  The fact that she took the time to do that amazes me.  And it really helped what had been a crappy day. 
Today, I was also reading a post on Chicks on the Right.  I left a comment, leaving my mini-rant for all the world to see.  At the end of the comment, I stated that I will never, ever have kids (only makes sense if you read the post and watch the video).  Some random woman commented, saying that I am a "smart young lady" (which means a lot to me considering the fact that I don't think of myself as the sharpest tool in the drawer); she also said that I shouldn't rule out kids because "children are a reflection of love" and "we need to have more little conservatives!"
For the record, I do not have a ton of patience for kids and the very idea of trying to raise them scares the living daylight out of me.  But her comment still meant a lot to me and it brightened my mood considerably.
People in general make me sigh, cringe, groan, and they often make me want to weep.  However, there are sometimes good people out there, people that are willing to put others above themselves and take time out of their day to help someone.  Those are the people that make me smile.

Arguing

I am very pro-life.  That said, I often follow pro-life blogs and sites including Live Action, founded by Lila Rose.  These people are dedicated to bringing the truth about abortion (and abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood) to the light.  I really like them.  Too many people are afraid to speak up about why they feel pro-life, but these people have taken a stand and boldly write to thousands (perhaps millions) about the ugly truth about abortion.
I was reading an article earlier today written by a woman named Kristie Walker.  It talked about how she was once pro-choice.  Then, once I finished, I went to where I never should have gone: the comments section.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you this: trolls don't live in mountains or beneath bridges.  They live on the Internet.
I was being stupid.  No matter what's posted, there will always be trolls.  I probably forgot about this.  So of course there were trolls down there making personal attacks on the writer.  Which made my blood boil.  I.  Cannot.  Stand it.  When people do this.
I am always open to debating on abortion.  No one really has argued with me on the subject (so if you'd like to, send me a message!).  However, if anyone ever tried that with me, I'd simply assume they are foolish cowards with nothing left to argue.  Because they are.  They have nothing left to say that would actually make sense, so they simply attack their opponent instead.  It's complete cowardice.  And it is, in my opinion, a waste of time.
I remember signing a petition to help get Cosmo magazine in a plastic non-transparent bag and sold only to legal adults.  Seriously, their covers are inappropriate for kids.  The woman who started this petition and campaign, Nicole, encouraged us on Facebook to post and comment on Kate White's page (she's the editor) encouraging her to go ahead and put the magazines in a plastic bag.  I seriously doubt that she has the time and patience to go through her page and look at all our comments, but hey, who knows?  So I posted a few times, saying that I wouldn't want my sister to see that kind of stuff while walking around in Wal-Mart and that it wasn't helping young girls.  There have been girls as young as 11 who have been hurt by the lies produced by this magazine.  Not once did I make an attack on her or her daughter or anything.  Unfortunately, I believe some of the others did, and this one woman called us all trolls that were probably all 14 years old and blah blah blah.
It sort of hurt because that wasn't my intention.  But some others bashed her.  I'm sure that they either were passionate about the subject or were simply clueless.  And some of them probably were 14 years old.  (Isn't this sad?  I'm 15!)  Nicole's blog is for preteen and teen girls, so it's pretty likely.  But I find it disappointing.  I have to wonder if they were posting out of love, for the protection of young girls, or out of hate and disgust so that they could do some Kate-bashing.  
     

Things This World Would Probably Be Better Off Without

-country music.  Need I say more?
-math.  Don't argue with me on this one.  I actually started liking it recently, but only a bit.  I still think we'd all be better off without it.
-those stupid 404 error messages
-hypocrisy
-ignorance and apathy
-the OWS movement
-Stephenie Meyer's fanfiction the Twilight Saga
-frosting
-artichoke hearts
-glitter as a part of hair, outfits, on skin, etc. (tacky, tacky, tacky)
-leopard print stuff
-abortion
-Yo Gabba Gabba
-the Hallmark Holiday (pointless and too many people whine about it)

Memorable Dreams

I've been researching how to control your dreams (called lucid dreaming, where you're actually aware that you're dreaming and you basically decide what happens in the dreams).  It seems so interesting.  I haven't found out about it until today and I would love to be able to do it.
Everyone, of course, has some favorite dreams and some worst dreams.  I can't remember all of the nightmares I've had.  I can remember a nightmare where I was trapped in a giant spider web.  I struggled and tried desperately to escape, but I couldn't.  Then came along a huge black widow.  It ate me.  Oh, it was scary.  I used to be scared of black widows, but not that much.  The thing that scared me the most was water.  To be specific, putting my head underwater.  But I can't remember any water-related nightmares.
Another one was back in '05 or '06, when my mom was pregnant with my sister.  My siblings and I were all going down a water slide and I was holding Grace.  She was having fun, but Josh and I were panicking because along the sides of the water slides were frogs that were spitting at us.  The saliva was, as we knew, poisonous, and we were trying to protect Grace.  I don't know if I woke up before it ended or what, but it wasn't a pleasant dream.
The last one I can remember was that I was in Hyrule.  It was amazing.  The king was having a BBQ and everyone in the kingdom was invited.  But some people invaded and, in the end, I witnessed the king's decapitation.  The final image of his face, eyes wide with terror, haunted me the next day.
A lot of my dreams from last year were about reunions.  In January my great-grandfather died and some friendships ended, so they made appearances.  They were random places.  One ex-friend wanted me to meet him at a museum, and when I got there, he hugged me and started crying, saying how much he missed me.  It was pretty emotional.  I can also remember another one taking place in the middle of nowhere, though there were some railroad tracks that I started walking to the side of at the end of the dream.  I can't remember how many "reunion dreams" I've had, but I've certainly had quite a few.
One of my favorite dreams is one that I had in 5th grade, the time that I wanted to be an actress/singer.  I somehow got one of the lead roles for Spy Kids 4.  It was amazing.  I felt elated.  In the dream, though, they only filmed two scenes.  One was where I had to battle a girl younger than me but dressed in the same clothing (we were both wearing a lavender swearter, a purple skirt, and white tights).  She won.  The other scene was where we (some other spies and me) all had to cross a bridge.  Under the bridge there were giant octopi in some sort of dark green liquid.
I also have my fair share of romance dreams.  I remember a time where, in 8th grade, my crush took me to a swanky restaurant.  I was really happy, but then I woke up.  Pretty disappointing.  My personal favorite, though, was this one that I had when I was about 10.  We were in Oregon or something like that, and my mom needed to go to the grocery store.  There was a pier behind the grocery store, so she left me there with my babysitter, who just happened to be Jesse McCartney.  I squealed.  While my mom was in the grocery store, we talked and, in about five minutes, fell in love.  We were about to kiss at the end, but a shark suddenly leapt out of the water and came very close to us.
I remember another dream where the trumpet section from my freshman year all went to the Carnival of Rust (from the music video by Poets of the Fall).  All the other trumpeters seemed to be having fun, but I seemed to be the only person who knew the significance of the carnival, of why it was so quiet and desolate.  It was a sad dream for me.
I often don't remember dreams (I heard that you only remember 10% of them), but I remember the dreams I had last night.  One of them was where I and some other friends started attending some prep school.  They gave all of the sophomores candles, but I had no idea that what I had been holding was a candle (I couldn't even find a wick), so I, being the smart girl I am, ate it.  I figured out later that they were candles and was amused that I actually ate it.  I told my friends about this during passing period or something.  Aubrey had laughed.  "What did it taste like?" she asked.  "It tasted like jicama," I answered.  I can't remember much beyond that.  The other dream I had was where I was Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, but I didn't live in District 12.  I just lived here in Loveland.  In fact, my dream was sort of about me sleeping in my own bedroom.  (Best dream ever, huh?  I'm the girl who was on fire and the only thing I actually dream about is being asleep.)
I also like hearing my friends' dreams.  Everyone does.  And they are even better when we're in them.  My friend in 5th grade had a dream where we all wanted to play basketball (what we did a lot during recess), but we didn't have a ball.  They decided to use my head.  It magically popped off and functioned like a normal ball.  At the end, my head just came back on and everything was normal.  Made me laugh.  Though I was a bit horrified that it was my head that was the ball.
 

Valentine's Day

Well, it's more than two weeks away and people are already excited for the Hallmark Holiday Valentine's Day.
Personally, I'm not too excited.  I don't know why all these people are.  I used to love it because it meant free candy and cards from all your friends.  But I'm in high school and I don't give nor receive candy and cards anymore and to me, it just doesn't matter that much.  I believe it's a good excuse for stores to sell cards and decorations.
I also remember a time back in fourth grade when I had a crush on a guy.  Valentine's Day was coming around the corner, so I decided to buy a candy gram (similar to Loveland High's rose and carnations thing they're doing this year) for him.  It was, I believe, a fundraiser where they sold candy during lunch to be sent to people.  I bought one for the guy with whom I was infatuated but sent it anonymously.  I, of course, was too shy and too scared to actually put my name down.
On Valentine's Day, my palms were covered in sweat and I felt sick.  I was nervous, though for what, I wasn't sure.  I knew it had something to do with the fact that the candy gram was to be delivered to him that day, but I had nothing to worry about.  It was anonymous and he would never know who sent it.  When he got it, however, he sort of just shrugged and put it on his desk.  I was stunned.  Is that it? I thought.  I wasn't sure what I expected, but it wasn't that.  Without thinking, I pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper.  I then wrote down what I felt for him.  I folded it up and handed it to him.  My heart was pounding as his eyes scanned the paper.  After what seemed like an eternity, he looked up at me and said, a bit loudly, "Yeah, I sort of noticed you had a crush on me because you kept on staring at me."
My cheeks suddenly felt hot.  I felt dizzy.  Some of my classmates were stifling giggles or full-out laughing.  I wanted to go home, have the Rapture happen, be abducted by aliens, anything.  But I had to endure the rest of the day.
I'm not exactly sure why I told him about my feelings for him.  I was only 9 and didn't need a boyfriend and I already knew that my infatuation was one-sided.  I just sort of felt like I had to.
This story isn't the reason why I hate Valentine's Day.  It gives me a good laugh.  But in my opinion, Valentine's Day is something silly.  I have no intention of celebrating it whatsoever. 

A New Perspective

I am a fan of the YouTuber Charlie McDonnell.  He's really funny and he likes Doctor Who - what's not to like?  Some of his friends have appeared in his videos and many of them do videos like him.  I decided to check out one of them.  His name is Alex Day, probably better known as nerimon.
The first video I found was a video called "Alex Reads Creation."  I decided to watch it.  He started out by saying that the difference between Twilight and the Bible is that Twilight was poorly written.  I had grinned.  I liked him already.
I already knew he was an atheist, so I wasn't sure how the video was going to turn out.  I was pretty sure that he would just go through it and joke about how ridiculous it was or something.  In the video, he said that he believes the Bible is a work of fiction but that it is a good read.
I was amused.  Never before had I heard that come from an atheist.
He opened the Bible.  "'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,'" he read.  He smiled as he said, "That's the most epic first sentence of all time."
I grinned.  I hadn't heard an atheist say that, either.  I can't really think of many people who aren't Christians who have had anything - anything - good to say about Christianity or the Bible.  Even if he didn't believe that the book was the truth, he still had something good to say about it.  It amazed me.  It was also a bit of a relief.  I thought I was just going to be watching a video that had him talking about how the very idea of creationism is idiotic or something.
But it gave me a new thing to think about.  He was absolutely right.  That is the most epic first sentence of all time.  As a girl who was born and raised in a Christian home, it's often difficult to remember how amazing the Word can be.  The fact that God created everything by just saying it is truly amazing.  It gave me something new to think about.  It let met think about how epic the Word is.
It's funny that I learned this from someone who doesn't even believe in a higher power.